Where does “beargrass” come from?
beargrass (English) comes from English bear, from Middle English bere, from Old English bere, from Old English tūn, from Proto-West Germanic tūn, from Proto-Germanic tūną, from Gaulish dunum, from Proto-Celtic dūnom — smoke; mist, haze.
beargrass (English): Xerophyllum tenax, a grasslike perennial closely...
Definitions
- Xerophyllum tenax, a grasslike perennial closely...
Ancestry of “beargrass”, step by step
beargrass traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English bear
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | bear | A large omnivorous mammal, related to the dog and... |
| 2 | Middle English | bere | bear; To pierce |
| 3 | Old English | bere | barley; first-person singular present indicative... |
| 4 | Old English | tūn | enclosure, yard; place; dwelling |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | tūn | fence |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | tūną | fence; enclosure |
| 7 | Gaulish | dunum | fort; hill, hillfort |
| 8 | Proto-Celtic | dūnom | stronghold, rampart |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |
via English grass
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | grass | Any plant of the family Poaceae, characterized by... |
| 2 | Middle English | gras | A grass; Any plant; especially a herbaceous one;... |
| 3 | Old English | græs | grass |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | gras | grass |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | grasą | grass |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰreh₁- | to become green, grow; to grow; to green, to grow |